The present invention is directed to a vehicle mounted storage unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,306 to Palmisano discloses a tool compartment mounted to the rear floor portion of a pickup truck. The tool compartment is mounted to the floor portion of the pickup truck at a mounting position disposed just behind and adjacent to the cab of the pickup truck. The tool compartment is shown to have a length that is substantially the same as the distance between the two sidewalls of the pickup truck so that the tool compartment extends the entire distance between the two sidewalls of the pickup truck.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,259 to Booker discloses a toolbox mounted to a rear floor portion of a pickup truck at a mounting point adjacent the tailgate of the pickup truck. The side of the toolbox disposed adjacent the tailgate has a relatively large height and the opposite side of the toolbox has a relatively small height, and the top side of the toolbox is angled so that it increases in height towards the tailgate and so that the top side of the tailgate acts as an air deflector.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,492 to Lyon discloses a storage receptacle for a pickup truck bed. The storage receptacle is shaped like a box and slidably mounted to the rear portion of the pickup truck. The storage receptacle is provided with a hinged cover that has a first portion that is generally horizontal when the cover is in a closed position and a second portion that is generally vertical when the cover is in an open position. The cover is supported in its open position by a counterweighting air cylinder attached between a sidewall of the storage receptacle and the cover.
The present invention is directed to a storage structure adapted to be mounted to a rear floor portion of a vehicle having a rearwardly facing cab wall, a first vehicle sidewall, a first wheel well having a portion which extends outwardly from a portion of the first vehicle sidewall, a second vehicle sidewall, a second wheel well having a portion which extends outwardly from a portion of the second vehicle sidewall, and a rear door.
The storage structure may include a mounting structure capable of being mounted to the rear floor portion of the vehicle. The mounting structure may have a first guide structure capable of being mounted to the rear floor portion of the vehicle, a second guide structure capable of being mounted to the rear floor portion of the vehicle, and a cabinet capable of being slidably coupled to the mounting structure.
The mounting structure may allow the cabinet to slide between a first position in which the cabinet is disposed adjacent the rearwardly facing cab wall and a second position in which the cabinet is disposed adjacent the rear door of the vehicle when the mounting structure is mounted to the vehicle and when the cabinet is slidably coupled to the mounting structure.
The cabinet may be provided with a first cabinet sidewall spaced from the first vehicle sidewall by at least about four inches in a direction perpendicular to the first cabinet sidewall when the mounting structure is mounted to the vehicle and when the cabinet is mounted to the mounting structure and a second cabinet sidewall spaced from the first cabinet sidewall in a direction parallel to the length of cabinet. The second cabinet sidewall may be spaced from the second vehicle sidewall by at least about four inches in a direction perpendicular to the second cabinet sidewall when the mounting structure is mounted to the vehicle and when the cabinet is mounted to the mounting structure.
In another aspect, the invention is directed to a storage structure adapted to be mounted to a rear floor portion of a vehicle having a rearwardly facing cab wall, a first vehicle sidewall, a first wheel well having a portion which extends outwardly from a portion of the first vehicle sidewall, a second vehicle sidewall, a second wheel well having a portion which extends outwardly from a portion of the second vehicle sidewall, and a rear door.
The storage structure may include a mounting structure capable of being mounted to the rear floor portion of the vehicle and a cabinet capable of being slidably coupled to the mounting structure. The mounting structure may allow the cabinet to slide between a first position in which the cabinet is disposed adjacent the rearwardly facing cab wall and a second position in which the cabinet is disposed adjacent the rear door of the vehicle when the mounting structure is mounted to the vehicle and when the cabinet is coupled to the mounting structure. The mounting structure may be designed to allow the cabinet to be removed from the mounting structure when the mounting structure is mounted to the vehicle.
The mounting structure may have a plurality of slots, the cabinet may have a plurality of wheels, and the cabinet may be removed from the mounting structure by aligning the slots in the mounting structure with the wheels and then lifting the cabinet.
The features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.